A Prayer During Times of Trouble
By Tiffany Thibault
"For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock." - Psalm 27:5
Troubles come and they come often in our lives. We work hard to try and stall trouble. We do our best at work, we follow the laws, we treat others with respect, and we save for a rainy day. Yet despite all our efforts, we still get blindsided when people turn on us and things don’t go as planned. We are left reeling, overwhelmed, and discouraged.
David, the writer of Psalm 27, knew what it felt like to face trouble. Despite being a national hero, and praised by all, he found himself in BIG trouble with his wife, leaving him and his father-in-law, the jealous king, hunting for him, forcing him to live in caves and to live in hiding for many years. David probably didn’t know who to trust, and perhaps even daily wondered who would turn him into the king. Day after day, year after year his trouble became a constant companion to him.
Living this way, with constant trouble knocking at your door, can cause you to become angry, bitter, resentful and hopeless. David faced all these emotions as well, but the secret to him walking through his troubles successfully was that he turned to the Lord often about them. He poured out his heart to the Lord. So many of his concerns, worries, and seemingly hopeless situations all were written down for us to read in the book of Psalms. This man faced great troubles, but this man also brought his concern before the Lord whom he knew, loved, and trusted.
God honored him and walked with him through the days and years as the troubles continued. This is why David could write that “the Lord will hide him in the day of trouble.” He knew the Lord because he intentionally spent time with Him in prayer and worship.
This is why he could write these words: “He will conceal me in the cover of His tent.” David knew that peace and protection were found in His tent (presence). David knew that he needed to intentionally seek the Lord.
He loved the Lord and believed he would be placed upon a rock of safety where troubles could not destroy him. The image of this rock is that it is set up high, unreachable from the enemy, a place of complete safety. David trusted in his God, because he spent his life seeking and pursuing a relationship with Him. Keeping his faith strong, and his eyes on the Lord didn’t remove his problems, but it did give him the strength to walk through them.
As you navigate the hard circumstances and troubles of your lives, where are your eyes looking? Are they focusing on the troubles or are they focusing on your God? Are your troubles dictating your emotions, or is your faith telling your troubles that God is at work and that you can trust Him today to do the impossible? We can’t control the troubles, but we can control how much we will trust God through them. Today, can you trust Him a little more for the troubles and keep seeking more of Him? He loves you and longs to have you know Him more.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the promise that this psalm gives me today. Thank you, Lord, that you promise to see me through times of trouble. Thank you, Lord, that you lift me high upon a rock. When my troubles come, Lord, I know that in you I can find safety and peace. You are my hope, you are my refuge, you are my God. Help me to keep my eyes on you today, trusting you for each moment.
In your name I pray,
Amen
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two teenage daughters and one very large dog. She is a homeschool mom, an author, a Bible study leader and loves to share God’s word with women.
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